He tried to soften her up by buying her flowers.
soften
/ˈsȯ-fən/
verb
to make soft or softer
to weaken the military resistance or the morale of especially by harassment (such as preliminary bombardment) —often used with up
to impair the strength or resistance of —often used with up
phrasal verb
to treat (someone) very well or kindly in order to make that person more likely to help one, give one something, etc.
to weaken (an enemy) through military attacks
idiom
to make one's disappointment less painful
She was disappointed not to get the job, but the promise of another job cushioned/softened the blow.